Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian: "If we run this way . . . we're going to be perfectly OK"

Indianapolis Colts RB Joseph Addai (AJ Mast/AP Photo)

To Bill Polian, the problem with the Indianapolis Colts' running game is perception.

As in, the perception this season among media and observers that the unbeaten Colts are imbalanced offensively, too dependent on the pass and not effective enough in the running game.

That perception is the problem, Polian said.

Polian, speaking this week on his weekly radio show, said the idea that the Colts – 9-0 after this past Sunday's 35-34 victory over New England – are flawed offensively because they pass far more often than they run couldn't be further from reality.

Polian said lately when the Colts to run, they do so effectively.

And that's enough.

“First of all, balance for balance's sake is not necessary,” Polian, in his 12^th season as the Colts' President, said Monday on his weekly radio show on 97.1 Hank FM in Indianapolis.

“What is necessary is to run effectively and we ran effectively Sunday night.”

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The Colts, after ranking 31^st in the NFL in rushing a year ago, this season rank 29^th in the area, having rushed for 86 yards a game. They also rank No. 1 in passing and third overall in offense. The Colts have run 367 passing plays and 201 rushing plays. On Sunday, they ran for 91 yards, but Polian said that statistic falls short of telling the story.

Polian said although the Patriots' approach of playing predominantly a nickel defense invited the Colts to run, he said, “the way the Pats play it, they close it up pretty quickly.”

The Colts averaged 5.1 yards per carry, and late in the game, running back Joseph Adddai not only ran for a four-yard touchdown, but his 13-yard run set up Indianapolis' game-winning touchdown in the final minute.

“That is effective running,” Polian said, noting that the Colts' average was higher than that of New England, which rushed 28 times for 113 yards. “We won the battle. We ran effectively with a higher-yards-per-carry than they did. That's what you need to do.

“It's not about whether your 55-45 run-pass or any of these kinds of equations that people dream up because they have nothing better to do. It's, 'How well do you run the ball when you face a front that requires you to run or when you're in a situation where you are required to run like the four-minute situation at the end of the game?'”

Polian also said Addai – often maligned by media and fans – in the last two weeks “has in my opinion had his two best games in a long, long time.” Addai threw a touchdown pass two weeks ago in a victory over San Francisco, ran for a touchdown and caught one last week and ran for another and caught another against New England.

“It's all Joseph,” Polian said. “There's not a lot of running room there. We know we don't have an offensive line where everybody is designed to be 325 pounds and knock the opposing team off the football. That's not what we do. When there has been room, he has made big plays and when there hasn't been room, he has put those pads down and gained four yards and five carries. It has been fine.

“If we run this way for the rest of the season, we're going to be perfectly OK.”

Polian on Monday also addressed:

*The health of RB Donald Brown. “He's fine. He came out of the game with a bit of a sore back. No problem with it. The shoulder was bothering him just a bit, but not enough to hinder him. He did recognition mistakes on a couple of blitzes and he had the penalty, which really wasn't his fault. Gene Huey, our running backs coach, decided to give him a blow and put [Chad] Simpson into the game. He had the hot hand. He ran exceptionally well. Gene just left him in there until it was [running back] Joseph [Addai's] turn to come on back and it was a good decision.”

*The possibility of playing New England in the postseason. “We'll see. We have to take care of our business, which involves the next seven games, and then we'll see what comes if we're fortunate enough to make the playoffs. I would expect that they will. I think they're certainly more than good enough to be in there and expect the will be. We have to earn our way in.”

*The play of WR Austin Collie. “Austin Collie did a great job, too. He started off a little bit rocky. They gave him some tough coverage that he hadn't seen before and he came back and shook it off and earned a pass interference penalty, which was a big play toward the end of the game. He made a couple of big catches. It's all part of the learning process.”

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